With potential efficiency of the systems nearing 400 percent, heat pumps are a proven energy saver for homeowners who live in warmer climates, but heat pump performance is predicated by a few factors that homeowners need to be aware of in order to maximize the investment in such a system.

While the efficiency rating, determined by heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF) and seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER), will generally dictate the energy savings of your system, the factors below are just as important to assess before you have a system installed.

Airflow

Proper airflow in your home is necessary to ensure that the heat pump operates efficiently. The general rule of thumb is to have at least 400 cubic feet per minute (cfm) for every ton of capacity that the system has. Therefore, if you have a 3-ton system, you should have 1,200 cfm of airflow. Your installer should size your system’s capacity and account for airflow during installation.

Leaking ducts

If your home has ducts that leak, the airflow in your home will be significantly impeded, along with the efficiency of the heat pump and your home comfort. If you’re confident in your abilities, you can seal ducts using materials designed for that purpose, or have a professional assess and upgrade them to guarantee their effectiveness.

Refrigerant issues

Because heat pumps operate using refrigerant for both the heating and cooling processes of the heat pump, it’s critical that the refrigerant doesn’t leak (which is also a hazard) and that it’s charged correctly. If you’re having a split system installed, the charge is of primary importance, because it’s generally done on site during installation, while package systems are generally correct charged during the manufacturing process.

If you’d like help with assessing or upgrading the performance of your heat pump, contact Comfort Services Heating & Air Conditioning today. Serving the Triangle area, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about heat pumps and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Heat pump image via Shutterstock

Age

Most furnaces are manufactured to operate well, particularly if they are maintained regularly, for about 15 years. If your system is nearing that age, upgrading could get you significantly better energy savings due to advances in home heating technology.

Fuel costs

If your fuel costs have been steadily rising in the past few years, this is a surefire sign that a furnace upgrade might be necessary. If you’re currently using a fuel source with soaring prices – and experts predict they’ll continue to rise – you could benefit from an upgraded system that uses a different fuel source, or uses fuel more efficiently.

Repairs

If your current system has required extensive and/or frequent repairs, using that money to invest in a new system might make more sense, and could be a wiser way to invest that money.

Comfort

If your home comfort is not up to par, it could be an indication that there’s a problem with the furnace’s ability to generate enough heat to comfortably condition your home.

Noises

Any time your furnace begins to make strange, unusual, unfamiliar noises, it could be a signal that calls for furnace replacement. If you hear rattling, banging, or a blower that runs all the time, call an expert to assess the system.

Burner color

Your burner should emit a blue color, and a simple check of the burner’s color can reveal carbon monoxide dangers if it’s currently yellow instead.

Family health

If your family has been struggling with continual illness, it’s essential to have the heat exchanger checked for cracks, which can lead to carbon monoxide risks.

Indoor air quality

If excessive dust or dryness plagues your home, those factors could be signs that your furnace can no longer perform to the standard you require.

Is it time for a furnace upgrade? For a free consultation, contact the efficiency experts at Comfort Services Heating & Air Conditioning today. Serving homeowners in the Triangle area, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Weighing the options image via Shutterstock

1. The clothing and other materials you store in your closet are prime gathering places for dust. You can prevent and reduce dust by containing unused clothing items in bins or garment bags.
2. Make vacuuming easier by keeping items on shelves, instead of the floor.
3. Your HVAC system’s air filter is designed to capture household dust, and prevent it from entering the system itself, as well as your home’s air. To optimize this process, use the most efficient filter that you can. Consult the furnace’s owner’s manual for the type of filters you can use with the system, or consult with an HVAC contractor.
4. Because dust is drawn to any material with fibers, bedding is a huge attractor of dust. Wash bedding weekly to keep as much dust out of your air as possible.
5. Cover mattresses with a shield so dust can’t access them.
6. When dusting your home, use a tool or material with dust-holding capabilities, as a regular cloth won’t hold dust well.
7. Dust is attracted to fibers in carpets, and this is a significant source of household dust. Flooring made from wood or laminate is ideal, which is easily cleaned. If you have carpet, use a vacuum that seals dust inside of it, and vacuum floors at least once a week.
8. Home furnishings also trap dust. Keep them dust-free by vacuuming them regularly. Alternatively, you can shake or tap cushions and pillows outside.
9. For maximum effect, use removable slipcovers on furnishings, which can be washed.
10. An air-purification system that rids the air of dust as air circulates through your home can really boost cleaning efforts and help efforts toward a dust-free home.

Use these tips to aim for a dust-free home that’s more comfortable, and give your quality of life a boost. Need help? Contact us at Comfort Services Heating & Air Conditioning today. Serving the Greater Raleigh area, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Dusting image via Shutterstock

Don’t skimp on quality

While you might be tempted to go for a low-quality system to save money, it’s more than likely that this type of system won’t get you the results you’re after. Buy a system from a reputable contractor who offers a selection of systems manufactured by well-known brands. If you can’t work a high-efficiency system (with an annual fuel utilization efficiency rating of 90 or higher) into your budget, evaluate mid-efficiency systems (starting at 80 AFUE) that can get effective results when you also upgrade your home’s efficiency.

Increase the overall efficiency of your home

With the system selected, you should focus on the performance of your home as a whole. The amount of insulation it has, how airtight it is and the condition of your attic, for instance — this can have a significant impact on how well your heating system operates. Have your contractor assess your home’s efficiency and make recommendations for upgrades to improve performance.

Use standard sizing methods

Even a high-efficiency system won’t operate at peak capacity if it’s not sized correctly to fit your home’s heating and cooling load. Ask your contractor if the industry standard sizing method, called Manual J, will be used. It takes into account how much heat your home requires, and then matches that load to the heating system’s capacity.

Comfort Services Heating & Air Conditioning, serving homeowners in the Triangle area, is available to help you with furnace replacement. Even if you’re on a tight budget, we’ll get you results.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Energy efficiency image via Shutterstock

Therefore, during the winter, when you fire up your home’s heating system and continue to use it regularly for maximum comfort, you don’t want to forget about changing the filter.

Once cooler weather begins to set in, most homeowners spend more time inside their homes. Combine this action with a furnace or heat pump that operates continuously and you get conditions that require regular filter changes. Why? A filter is designed to trap dust and debris for two purposes: To keep that dirt out of the heating systems, and to keep it out of the air in your home.

Once a filter’s overall surface space fills up with dirt, pollutants, and debris, its capacity to hold particles reaches its limit, and much of that dirt and debris will begin to bypass the filter, going directly into the heating system’s components. If it is allowed to build up here, the heating system’s efficiency will begin to decrease, and you’ll pay more on your energy bills. At the same time, dirt and pollutants that bypass the filter will circulate throughout the air in your home, degrading indoor air quality and possibly leading to health problems, such as allergies or other respiratory problems.

Regular filter changes will ensure that the filter is clean and able to trap pollutants and dirt. It’s generally a good idea to assess the filter’s condition once a month, and change it as necessary.

Keep your home comfort and system efficiency on track with regular filter changes. If you’d like help keeping your Triangle area home’s HVAC systems in peak condition, contact contact Comfort Services Heating & Air Conditioning today. Make sure to ask about our Energy Savings Agreement, designed to keep your systems in the best shape possible, year round.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Air filter image via Shutterstock

The duct air-distribution system is comprised of the supply and the return system. And while the supply system should follow certain design objectives to ensure comfortable delivery of heated air, the return system is just as important.

There are two basic types of duct return-air systems: Multiple-room and central systems.

Multiple-room system

In this design, every room in the home will have a return grille to effectively move conditioned air back to the central heating system. This design is ideal, because it ensures that air return is balanced, flowing back from every space in the home, regardless of whether or not interior room doors are open or closed. This design ensures that the balance of home pressure is optimized, and helps to avoid hot and cold zones. And it allows for privacy for homeowners through closed doors, without restricting airflow.

Central system

Older homes will generally have a central return system, with one main air return positioned on every level of the home. So a two-story home will have a return on the first and second floors, while single-story homes will have one return. However, this system limits the balanced flow of air if interior doors are shut, unless the design has allowed for jumper ducts through ceilings, or transfer grilles through walls. These factors are necessary to ensure airflow, because, contrary to popular thought, air can’t flow under doors, even when there’s an inch of space underneath them. Vents can be installed in doors to provide airflow; however, this design is usually rather noisy.

Need to have your duct returns assessed for efficiency and to improve home comfort? Just contact the experts at Comfort Services Heating & Air Conditioning today. We are happy to help Triangle area homeowners improve comfort and energy savings, and we deliver results, each and every time.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about {INSERT TOPIC} and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Air vent image via Shutterstock

Using detectors, testing and ridding your home of contaminants are the most economical and effective ways to ensure the quality of air inside your home helps, instead of hinders, your lifestyle.

There are two basic forms of contaminants that you need to be aware of: biological (bacteria, dander and dust) and chemical (cleaning solutions). Both short- and long-term exposure to pollutants can degrade your health, making it essential to address problems.

Carbon monoxide is a danger because exposure to even small concentrations of it can cause health problems, and even death. Your furnace system, gas stove or  wood-burning fireplace can emit carbon monoxide as a by-product of combustion. The best recourse is to use carbon monoxide detectors, and to have combustible equipment serviced every year.

Radon is known to cause problems inside homes, and because it naturally can occur in the ground below your home, you can’t ignore it. Experts recommend that you have your home tested by a professional for radon to assess whether it is present or not. Alternatively, you can purchase a home-testing kit.

After testing and detectors, homeowners are wise to ensure that their homes are free of biological and chemical contaminants by removing suspect materials. Common contributors include:

• Cigarette smoke
• Burning candles
• Pesticides used outside and inside the home (to remove pests, for instance, or for gardening purposes)
• Cleaning solutions
• Construction materials
• Furnishings or carpeting
• Paints and other chemicals

If you’re unsure of what products and materials in your home might be contributing to poor indoor air quality, hire an expert to conduct a professional indoor air quality test.

For HVAC service in the Greater Raleigh area, and to find out how you can enhance your home’s indoor air quality, contact the experts at Comfort Services Heating & Air Conditioning. We offer a wide range of indoor air quality products, and will take the time to help you find solutions.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about indoor air quality and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Indoor air quality image via Shutterstock

However, when there’s a big difference in the two temperatures and you need a major gain in indoor temperature, the second stage may kick in. The two-stage operation helps to optimize energy efficiency, as the unit doesn’t expend energy when it doesn’t need to.

Although, the heat pump is extremely energy efficient, you need to keep its unique features and requirements in mind. If you’ve had a furnace until now, you may be used to turning the thermostat down several degrees while you’re away and turning it back up when you return – you may even have a programmable thermostat that does this automatically, but this isn’t the best way to use a heat pump. A heat pump thermostat guide advises you to avoid any quick and dramatic temperature changes.

The best thermostat to use in conjunction with a heat pump is an adaptive intelligent recovery-control thermostat. This thermostat takes accurate temperature readings from the air and walls in each room. The unit automatically makes small adjustments throughout the day to maintain an even heat in your home. Like the traditional programmable thermostat, this thermostat can take the temperature in your home down while you are away or at night, but it doesn’t create an energy spike when you bring up the temperature again. This maximizes your energy savings.

For more information on how to manage your heat pump for maximum energy savings in your home, contact Comfort Services Heating & Air Conditioning. We provide Raleigh area residents with expert HVAC-system service and advice and can help you find the best heat pump and heat-pump thermostat for your home.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Thermometer image via Shutterstock

What is a service agreement?

A planned maintenance agreement is a contract between you and your heating and cooling contractor that provides regular tune-ups, discounts and priority treatment when you have a problem. Regular maintenance of your system will keep it running efficiently and provide energy savings.

What are the benefits of Comfort Services’ Energy Savings Agreement?

Comfort Services’ Energy Savings Agreement offers you peace of mind. You know that your system will be maintained regularly by expert technicians, and that you will receive prompt, thorough attention whenever your system develops a problem. Comfort Services’ precision tune-ups will keep your equipment running at peak performance throughout the year.

What is the cost of an ESA?

The cost of an ESA varies according to the size of your home, the number of units and the kind of filtration and humidification systems you have. It also varies according to the number of tune-ups you want throughout the year. Before you sign up, a service technician will inspect your home and provide an estimate.

How do I sign up for an ESA?

Contact Comfort Services any time to sign up for an ESA. Then, when your system develops a problem, you can call at any time, day or night, and receive priority treatment. You can also schedule service at your convenience so that your schedule is not interrupted.

What does the ESA cover?

The agreement covers the cost of scheduled maintenance and cleaning. The cost does not cover repairs or unit replacement. If a repair or replacement are necessary, you may be eligible for a discount.

Do I receive additional discounts?

Comfort Services’ residential Energy Savings Agreement clients are eligible for certain discounts, which vary depending on the plan you choose. Most customers receive a 15 percent discount on labor and parts when repairs are necessary.

For more information on how Comfort Services’ Energy Savings Agreement can benefit you, contact us. We can set up an ESA for your home and answer any questions that you may have. Serving the Greater Raleigh area, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Service agreement image via Shutterstock

Mechanical thermostats

These devices require manual manipulation of temperature settings, which can be less than ideal for ensuring energy savings from setbacks. Basic models allow you to set a single temperature, and the system will ensure that temperature setting, regardless of adjustments in the home’s indoor or the outdoor temperature. Setback models offer two settings, and homeowners generally use them to set a separate temperature for day and night.

Electronic thermostats

These devices are much more sophisticated than mechanical models, with technology that allows precision control over your home’s temperature and energy savings.

• Programmable models generally allow multiple temperature settings throughout the day, so that you can adjust home temperatures according to how the home is used, and avoid wasting energy to heat your home when it’s unoccupied.
• Intelligent recovery models are ideal for use with a heat pump, because they enhance its efficiency and decrease the required use of the backup heating system. They can be programmed with multiple settings each day for maximized setback potential.

If your home uses a baseboard, ceiling cable or wall-mounted heating system, you can select from two thermostat types. Mechanical models offer limited capabilities to set home temperatures, often with a limited dial that gives you heating options from 1 to 10, instead of using degrees. These are generally inefficient. Electronic models work much the same way as programmable units for heat pumps and furnaces and you can select a specific temperature degree, or use programming capabilities.

To work properly, the thermostat you choose should be:

• Wired correctly
• Installed in the ideal location to “read” the home’s temperature accurately

For help selecting a device, or for information about energy savings around your home, contact the experts at Comfort Services Heating & Air Conditioning today. Serving the Triangle area, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about programmable thermostats and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Programmable thermostat image via Shutterstock